Drink package upgrade

[T^2]

The upgrade has been $10/day/person + 20% gratuity OR $12/day/person USD.  Not that I expect it to change soon, this reply is valid until I hit submit.  Celebrity likes to change things sometimes regularly.

[D C]

8 hours ago, Cruisernewbie44 said:

This may be a dumb question, but here goes.  Always Included is the classic package which is usually $59.  The Cruise Planner says the Premium Package is $69.  Is that what you have to pay to upgrade?  It would be really hard to justify $69 more per day with the amount I drink ( one cocktail and one or two glasses of wine/day)

Paying the $10/day is another thought process altogether

 

You just pay the difference of $10 + $2 gratuity = $12 per night.

[Keys Kathy]

44 minutes ago, D C said:

You just pay the difference of $10 + $2 gratuity = $12 per night.

Keep in mind that if you are high up in Captain's Club, you get a percentage off the upgrade. You have to do it before you sail. Elite Plus gets 10% off. Also, if you are in a suite, you pretty much automatically get the premium package.

[Bo1953]

11 hours ago, Cruisernewbie44 said:

This may be a dumb question, but here goes.  Always Included is the classic package which is usually $59.  The Cruise Planner says the Premium Package is $69.  Is that what you have to pay to upgrade?  It would be really hard to justify $69 more per day with the amount I drink ( one cocktail and one or two glasses of wine/day)

Paying the $10/day is another thought process altogether

 

Yes, you are a newbie to X, it appears.

 

The cost to upgrade is $10/day plus the 20% gratuity = $12/day pp to upgrade.

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[T^2]

Cruisernewbie44 - I think I answered the specific question you asked but it might help with a bit more detail.  I posted earlier that one martini, a cappuccino, and a vitamin water pretty much pays for the $10/day charge.  Others have posted the wine is (to some degree) better with the premium package.  My family and I consider the premium drink package upgrade cost as "part of the cruise price" even though it technically is not.

[Cruisernewbie44]

thank you everyone for the clarification

 

[Cruisernewbie44]

I just went online to book the premium package.  Even though I have the Always Included package (which is classic) they want to charge me $483.  Not only $12 more per day.

[canderson]

9 minutes ago, Cruisernewbie44 said:

I just went online to book the premium package.  Even though I have the Always Included package (which is classic) they want to charge me $483.  Not only $12 more per day.

Be sure they're not charging you the full price for premium instead of the difference between classic and premium.  We've heard of that sort of glitch here before for both drinks and internet upgrades.

[Keys Kathy]

11 minutes ago, Cruisernewbie44 said:

I just went online to book the premium package.  Even though I have the Always Included package (which is classic) they want to charge me $483.  Not only $12 more per day.

Hopefully you set them straight or called your TA.

[Cruisernewbie44]

thank you all.  Called it in and got the $12/day price.  

[Purplsmurf]

On 8/27/2021 at 7:01 PM, jg51 said:

.

Hello, "Purplsmurf."

You enjoy a $15 glass of champagne on board?

What is that -- the Domaine Chandon Brut, or something else?  (If it is something else, where do you go to obtain it?)

Thanks.

.

It’s Montaudon. I have had it in the MDR, specially dining and other bars as well 

[adelaidefc]

 

On 9/2/2021 at 1:56 AM, T^2 said:

Cruisernewbie44 - I think I answered the specific question you asked but it might help with a bit more detail.  I posted earlier that one martini, a cappuccino, and a vitamin water pretty much pays for the $10/day charge.  

Sorry to bump this post but it's right on the topic I'm trying to work out. I'm looking at a cruise ex-Sydney to NZ this time next year on Eclipse.

 

I've seen classic includes drinks up to $9USD, but would that include cappuccino/lattes etc? Looking at bar menu prices here there's *a lot* that won't be included in classic (even everything at Slush, a shame cos I love frozen cocktails).

 

But if a basic coffee (in Australia an espresso based cappuccino is very standard), doesn't get included that would be very disappointing, and I'd have to factor in the upgrade cost in choosing between some different options.

 

With some of the premium cocktails, can you just ask the bartender to make the same cocktail but with classic package spirit(s)?

Edited October 14, 2021 by adelaidefc
Added a question

[killsport]

@adelaidefc Most of the coffees / espressos are included in the basic package (some are not and I forget which - the affogato isn't, and maybe some of the ones with alcohol). As far as regular drinks, you Absolut-ly (see what I did there) can get most drinks made with a classic-package alcohol (at many bars - not at the World Class Bar). And if you occasionally want to splurge, they charge you the DIFFERENCE (plus gratuity), not the full price.

Celebrity-Cruises-Beverage-Packages.pdf

Edited October 14, 2021 by killsport
added current bev package pdf

[T^2]

I don't remember seeing an answer to this specific question/situation:

There are five in our travel group in two cabins.  All of us are going to do the premium drink upgrade.  I have seen the post that the folks "pushing" the drink upgrade package are the bar staff.  I have also seen the "suggestion" to purchase the upgrade at the bar people will most frequent.  We have one newbie that hasn't been on Celebrity yet, so doesn't have a favorite bar (yet), but suspect I know which one she will pick.  The remaining four of us, regularly frequent three different bars, but do end up at the same one (eventually).  In theory, we would want to upgrade at four different bars once we board.  I know if one person in a cabin upgrades, all have to upgrade, which isn't a problem.

So, can we split up and hit four bars to do the upgrades or does once the first person upgrades, the other person/people in the cabin are upgraded too?

Thanks!

Tim

[Keys Kathy]

1 hour ago, T^2 said:

I don't remember seeing an answer to this specific question/situation:

There are five in our travel group in two cabins.  All of us are going to do the premium drink upgrade.  I have seen the post that the folks "pushing" the drink upgrade package are the bar staff.  I have also seen the "suggestion" to purchase the upgrade at the bar people will most frequent.  We have one newbie that hasn't been on Celebrity yet, so doesn't have a favorite bar (yet), but suspect I know which one she will pick.  The remaining four of us, regularly frequent three different bars, but do end up at the same one (eventually).  In theory, we would want to upgrade at four different bars once we board.  I know if one person in a cabin upgrades, all have to upgrade, which isn't a problem.

So, can we split up and hit four bars to do the upgrades or does once the first person upgrades, the other person/people in the cabin are upgraded too?

Thanks!

Tim

If you can get a discount BEFORE the cruise, do it online. Otherwise, we usually upgrade at the first bar we visit. If we know the ship, we always go to our favorite first anyway.

 

Know on the first day, many of the bartenders are at bars that they don't usually work,  since all the bars are open on embarkation day as soon as passengers get on the ship. They have to split up the shifts to not overwork people.

 

Also, know that bartenders move around too. They may be at the Martini Bar at dinner and at the ocean view bar during the day or even the Passport bar setting up at 10:00.

 

The best way to reward a great bartender is with a tip.

 

[HskrCrsr]

2 hours ago, T^2 said:

I don't remember seeing an answer to this specific question/situation:

There are five in our travel group in two cabins.  All of us are going to do the premium drink upgrade.  I have seen the post that the folks "pushing" the drink upgrade package are the bar staff.  I have also seen the "suggestion" to purchase the upgrade at the bar people will most frequent.  We have one newbie that hasn't been on Celebrity yet, so doesn't have a favorite bar (yet), but suspect I know which one she will pick.  The remaining four of us, regularly frequent three different bars, but do end up at the same one (eventually).  In theory, we would want to upgrade at four different bars once we board.  I know if one person in a cabin upgrades, all have to upgrade, which isn't a problem.

So, can we split up and hit four bars to do the upgrades or does once the first person upgrades, the other person/people in the cabin are upgraded too?

Thanks!

Tim

 

For drink upgrades, all do not have to upgrade. Just one person in the room can upgrade while the other does not. If you upgrade from standard Always Included to Elevate or Indulge, everyone in the room must, but this is not the case for just the drink package.

[T^2]

The intent of my question was can we spread credit for the upgrades across different bars/bartenders?

We normally upgrade the drink package before boarding; however, this time was trying to give credit to the folks on the ship.  Besides, the savings of $36 to pre-order vs the total cost of 5 travelers is not even rounding error.

We will divide and conquer with the upgrades, just to start the cruise by visiting as many bars as possible. 

Happy sailings, all!

[D C]

6 hours ago, T^2 said:

The intent of my question was can we spread credit for the upgrades across different bars/bartenders?

We normally upgrade the drink package before boarding; however, this time was trying to give credit to the folks on the ship.  Besides, the savings of $36 to pre-order vs the total cost of 5 travelers is not even rounding error.

We will divide and conquer with the upgrades, just to start the cruise by visiting as many bars as possible. 

Happy sailings, all!

Yes you can. 

The bartender who processes the upgrade gets the credit. 

 

On our recent Reflection sailing, we had 2 bartenders that we knew from a previous sailing, and we were the first people to that bar on embarkation day.  It was the bar that we frequent and there were 4 of us upgrading.  "two for you, two for me" was the arrangement between the two of them.  

 

The pre-cruise savings was negligible compared to knowing we were putting a little more in the pockets of those we have befriended and who work hard for their income.